Our Amazing Vacation - North Rim Grand Canyon

In trying to decide whether to go to the North Rim or the South Rim of Grand Canyon, two things became the deciding factors: 1 - North Rim is three hours from St. George and South Rim is five.  2 - Grand Canyon has 5 million visitors annually and South Rim gets 80% of them.  Easiest Decision EVER!!  The North Rim is fantastic and I highly recommend it.  The temperature was in the 70's, the hikes were awesome, the crowds were small, and the views were amazing.  True, we weren't able to go out on the skywalk and stand on glass a mile above the Colorado River, but I wouldn't have done that anyway.  :)

Right after the entrance of the park we came across a "beefalo" herd in a meadow.  Chad and I couldn't, at first, figure out why the buffalo didn't look quite right but later read in the Park newspaper that the animals are a cross between cows and buffalo.  They look like buffalo, only smaller.

Our first stop was our campsite.  We wanted to make sure that the tent was all set up and everything taken care of because the last thing you want to do when you are tired from hiking is set up a tent.  We were able to reserve the last spot (site #55) at the North Rim Campground before our vacation started and we set up the tent in the shade of the trees.

It came together really well, but I did have to climb under because we missed a particularly prickly pine cone.

Next came the hiking.  After doing some research prior to our trip, we had settled on the Transept Trail, which follows the canyon rim, and  Bright Angel Point Trail for Monday, and the Cape Royal Trail for Tuesday.  Chad and I had decided that there was no way in the world that we were going to a mile deep canyon without harnesses for Grant and Joseph.  We found cute dog backpack/harness contraptions where the tail was the "leash" and it was seriously the best $30 spent for the vacation.  We had wonderful peace of mind and all the comments were got from people were positive.

I suppose taking a picture while pretending to fall into the canyon is a visitor must, especially for 10 year old boys.  

One of the overlooks along the Transept Trail.

Joseph pooped out and got to ride on Daddy the Pack Mule.  

Water and snack break at Transept Trail viewpoint.  We left the rim for a bit and hiked through a beautiful forest of Ponderosa Pine, Quaking Aspen and Douglas Fir.  As the trail lifted out of the forest we found ourselves at this inspirational view point.

View from along the Transept Trail.

Grant found a rock that looked like a couch on the Bright Angel Point Trail so all the kids HAD to sit on it.

Merritt contemplates the view from Bright Angel Point...

 while Joseph sleeps through it.

Family photo on the Bright Angel Point Trail rocks.  We traded picture taking favors with people up and down the trails.

A ha...a glimpse of the bottom!  The blue of the Colorado River can be seen in the distance.  The Cape Royal Trail is the only area on the North Rim where you can view the river.  Merritt was very excited to finally see it. 

 Angel's Window at the Cape Royal Trail.  We actually walked over it to get to the observation point at the end of the rock.  Chad and I both loved how all the names of formations at Grand Canyon were named after angels rather than devils, (i.e. Devil's Tower, Slide, Gate, etc.).  Seeing the wonders of nature definitely makes me think of a loving, considerate and creative Father in Heaven, not His opposite.

One final scenic shot on our drive down from the Cape Royal trail head.  We all loved Grand Canyon!

Our Amazing Vacation - Sunday in St. George

We picked a week in June for our annual family vacation and when the 15th arrived we packed up and headed south to St. George.  Using that as our base we then ventured further out spending Monday and Tuesday at the North Rim of Grand Canyon, Wednesday in St. George, Thursday in Zion National Park and Friday at Bryce Canyon.  We had so much fun and are already looking forward to next year's adventure.

On Sunday we attended church at a ward building across the street from the temple.  It was a wonderful ward and we really enjoyed ourselves there.  Chad and I each had a separate geeky Church moment when we realized we were fortunate enough to hear the Lorenzo Snow lesson on tithing right in the city where the revelation was given!  That was really neat!

After church we headed right over to the temple and took lots of pictures of the kids.

  
I wanted all the kids to smile naturally for the pictures so I started to do some funny dance moves.  Apparently I looked completely ridiculous because they all started laughing.  I realized later that I could be seen from the Visitor's Center so who knows how many people got to see me bust a move.  I'm sure they were all laughing too...or calling the nearest mental health center.

Joseph decided to be the funny man next. He had all of us laughing!  Check out Grant's GQ pose.

We did a quick tour of the Visitor's Center and spent some time looking at the Christus.  A sweet sister missionary snapped some photos for us (don't smile Merritt!) and then we headed back to our vacation pad so Joseph could have a nap.

Eat Your Heart Out!

Jealous?  You should be!  I picked these peaches off the tree in our backyard.  One morning I walked outside as the sun rose bright and warm over the mountains and checked how the peaches were coming along.  I gently twisted one and it came right off in my hand, so I stood there and ate it.  It was perfection, juicy and sweet and everything a peach should be.  Over the next few days I picked them all and we ate some and made jam out of some and canned some.  I love growing my own food!  I just wish I was a better gardener!

Guess Who Got Into The Flour Bucket?

Joseph, that's who!

Independence Rock and Martin's Cove

 

On Monday morning we said our goodbyes to the Whartons and headed off back toward home. We knew, however, that our vacation wouldn't be complete if we didn't stop in at the two famous historic sites between Casper and Rawlins: Independence Rock and Martin's Cove. Traveling toward Rawlins you pass by Independence Rock first, so that was our first stop. The kids were so excited about climbing on the large, loaf-shaped granite monolith and, after Merritt scrambled up the side quick as a wink and I complimented him on his sure-footedness, he declared, "I climb like a mountain goat!" I can't disagree with that, he didn't slip once and showed no fear.

We enjoyed hunting around for names from the days of the Oregon, California, and Mormon Trails.  Since the rock has only been a historic site since 1961 you can find names from later dates, but they aren't the interesting ones.  It really is an amazing thing is to stand at the top and look for miles in every direction and know that the scenery (minus the visitor's center and highway) is unchanged from the days that scores of pioneers, including ancestors in Chad's family and my own, stood and surveyed the same landscape.  Our feet could have stood in the same spot, we could have clambered up the same side of the rock, our hair could have been tossed by the same strength of wind.  It was a wonderful moment when we touched history.

Grant in a tree at the picnic area.

After making a few wrong choices in what direction we should go to get down off of Independence Rock, our feet were once more on level ground and we got back into the van for the short drive to Martin's Cove.  The area now has a lovely green space with picnic tables where we ate our lunch and enjoyed a respite.  It was interesting to note the changes there.  The Visitor's Center has grown marvelously since I first visited as a teenager, even since my last visit eleven years ago.  That time we actually walked out to the cove pulling a handcart.  The feeling at the cove where so many died is both somber and sacred; the sacrifice and faith of those pioneers left an indelible mark.  On our way back, Chad and I actually pulled my mother in the handcart because her hip, which at that time was soon to be replaced, was paining her badly.  This time around we did not walk out to the cove...somehow the thought of dragging four children on a five mile round trip hike didn't sound like lots of fun.  Instead we watched a video, toured the Visitor's Center, found the names of our ancestors (both Chad's and mine) who had been in the Willie Company (as well as Chad's ancestor who had been a rescuer), visited the blacksmith's shop where we received prairie diamonds, and had the kids pull a handcart along the small trail in the park located near the visitor's center.  The experience impressed the children and I look forward to when we can visit again and partake of more that Martin's Cove has to offer.

A loaded handcart in the Visitor's Center.

My family: the Gadds; Chad's family: the Dorney's.

A view of Devil's Gate.

Pulling a handcart...Merritt is doing most of the work.

Our greatest treasures; if we have them we have everything!

 We said our goodbyes to Martin's Cove and all the kindly missionaries there and set our faces firmly towards home.  We arrived on our own doorstep to find a lawn in need of mowing, a garden that had grown by leaps and bounds, and our own beds to sleep in once again.  What a great trip!

Mt Rushmore At Last

We were rained out on Friday, but Saturday dawned blue and clear and hot once again and we were off to see Gutzon Borglum's mammoth creation.  We drove through Keystone, making sure to stop at the Silk Fudge Shop which was highly recommended by friends who had gone to Mt Rushmore the previous year.  We were not disappointed...yum!  I know, fudge in the morning sounds totally weird, but we weren't going to pass through Keystone again so we had fudge at 10am and were happy.  We pulled into the parking lot and amused ourselves by shouting out different state license plates while we looked for an open space.  After snagging some decent spots, we piled out and entered the viewing area and Avenue of Flags that leads to the amphitheater.  The kids oohed and aahed upon seeing the famous sculpture and I turned to see Chad's reaction, since he hadn't said anything yet, but he just shrugged and remarked, "I thought it would be bigger."  We laughed at that because it is true, the visitor's center is so far removed from the actual carving that you don't get a good feel for Mt Rushmore's size.  Plus all the pictures you see are close-ups, so you think that when you visit the monument you will be a lot closer than you actually are.  It didn't help that we had seen Devil's Tower just two days previous because you walk around the Tower and it just looms over you.  Mt Rushmore doesn't loom, it sits on its lofty pedestal and you gaze at it from afar...kind of like Romeo and Juliet.  Chad did quickly add, however, that it was still cool.  :) 

Ahh!  Don't face the sun to take a picture!!

Here's a cool little cave we found while hiking around Rushmore.

Our plan after Rushmore was to stop at a picnic area for lunch and then head down to Jewel Cave before starting back to Casper.  We did find a fun place to eat off the beaten track with clean outhouses, potable water, fun rocks to climb and duel on and lots of squirrels to entertain the kids, but after we had set up and were cooking hotdogs the local forest service ranger stopped by and charged us $4 a family to have lunch.  We're pretty sure he just pocketed the money but, oh well.  Grace finally lost a tooth that had been wiggling mightly and, since Eli lost one the day before, we snapped a picture of them together.  We ate lunch, the kids ran and got their fidgets out, and Sandra became the Mighty Squirrel Tamer who got the little beasties to eat out of her hand.

The toothless wonders!

 We drove past lots and lots of local Rushmore-area caves on the way to Jewel Cave, which later made us go "Shucks!", but we were excited to see Jewel Cave which had lots of rave reviews.  There was, unfortunately, a wild fire down by Wind Cave, which forced the Forest Service to close it, and thus Jewel Cave's traffic was more than doubled.  We just missed getting a space on the tour by minutes and we didn't want to backtrack an hour or so to visit a different cave, so we turned for home and consoled the kids with the promise of pizza and rootbeer floats when we got back to Casper. 

From Storybooks to Cowboy Grub

After waking up and realizing that we were camped in an amazingly beautiful spot, we let the kids run free while we made breakfast, then made a special trip down to the lakeside while the men took down our tents.  At the shore we found the most marvelous flat rocks, a whole beach full of them, just perfect for skipping.  We skipped rocks (or in the case of the littlest kids - just threw handfuls to see the splash) for quite a while before heading back up to get a start on our day.  The first order of business was to relocate our camping site to someplace that wasn't claimed for the weekend.  We found the campground attendant and he pointed us in the right direction.  Then, to save time, we set up the tents again so that we didn't have to do it in the dark when we got back.  Once that was accomplished it was off to Storybook Island.

Storybook Island is a fantastic FREE park in Rapid City that is full of playground equipment based on fairy tales, poems, children's tales and even some Bible stories too.  It was so very, very hot and the kids look like they are melting in all the pictures, but we had such a fun time.  We played in Peter Pumpkin-eater's house, stood in front of fun house mirrors, slid down slides from the top of the Crooked House, sat on the Cat in the Hat's lap, steered Little Toot, stood on the prow of Noah's ark, sat in the belly of Jonah's whale, rode on unicorns and fire engines, and crossed the troll's bridge with the Three Billy Goats Gruff.  The kids could have stayed there all day.  The weirdest thing that happened was when Grant and I found a crab on the gangplank to Noah's Ark.  It was missing a claw and I thought is was a toy some kid had dropped, so I bent down to pick it up and take it to the nearest Lost and Found, when it MOVED!!  I screamed and started to laugh and Grant jumped a foot in the air.  I gently scraped it into the surrounding water with my foot and we watched it sink and then awkwardly swim away.  It was all very odd!

 After Storybook Island we headed for Reptile Gardens.  Sandra slapped together peanut butter and jelly sandwiches while Keith drove and when we arrived we divvied up the lunch food, drinks and chips before diving in for more fun.  May I say here that Keith really knows what he is doing.  We all would have died of dehydration or gone broke buying water, but he brought along a huge cooler of water and we just filled up Camelbaks and had plenty to drink all the time.  He saved our bacon!  Anyhoo, we arrived at the Reptile Gardens just in time for the crocodile show and the host was out of his gourd!!  He was in this pen surrounded by crocs and gators and then he poked around in the water to find a fiesty one and actually hauled it out onto dry land and sat on it and proceeded to do all manner of insane things like sticking his hand in its mouth!!  Grace thought his life and death tricks were really funny and she laughed loudly at the poor guy.  Watch his reaction to her laughter...

As he ratcheted up the danger factor I got so nervous!  At one point I had to turn away...I just did not want to see this guy lose his hand or any fingers, especially when he announced he was going to tickle the roof of the croc's mouth so that we could see how fast it's jaws would snap shut.  He came through, however, completely unscathed! At the end he brought out a baby gharial with its mouth taped shut and let anybody who wanted to touch it.  All the kids were brave and petted the nasty little thing, even Joseph!

We wandered throughout the park after the show and saw birds, snakes, HUGE crocodiles (16 feet + in length which NO ONE would ever DARE try to wrestle), all manner of lizards and insects including nasty spiders, giant tortoises, a prarie dog colony (which I thought was an odd addition to a reptile park until Chad mentioned that they probably use them to feed the gators), and a komodo dragon that Merritt wanted to take home sooo bad!  Nevermind that it was 8 feet long and venomous, Komodo (as he named it) would make a most excellent pet. We were able to make it out of there without Komodo, but just barely.  :)  The kids really enjoyed Reptile Gardens and the adults did too actually.  Win win!!  One thing that we learned at Reptile Gardens is that giant tortoises are reliable weather predictors.  When we arrived at the enclosure, all the tortoises were standing with their heads in the corners of the wooden fence that surrounded their home, and they were banging their noggins slightly against the wood.  It was so weird and looked rather like they were all in time-out or something for being naughty.  We asked their keeper what was up and he explained that the tortoises always did that when the weather was changing.  He predicted rain by the evening based on their reaction.  Always trust a tortoise.

Grace makes friends with a little snake.

Merritt has a million and one questions for the snake lady, including "Can I hold that?"

Grace, Eli, Merritt, Joseph and a giant turtle skeleton.

The tortoise hides from the weather.

Our next stop was the Circle B Chuckwagon for a shoot-out with the Biscuit Bandit, dinner, and an evening of cowboy singing.  It was raining off and on when we arrived (see...the tortoises know!) but cleared long enough for the traditional shoot-out.  The good guy and the Biscuit Bandit were having their showdown and the cowboy had the bad guy on the run.  He then invited all the kids down, deputized them, and sent them off after the Bandit.  He was waiting around the corner for them, though, and shot his cap gun at them.  They all screamed and came running back around the corner with the Bandit in hot pursuit.  The cowboy finally defeated him, however, and made him swear not to steal anymore biscuits...until the next show that is.  We went inside for dinner then; Chad and Keith tried the buffalo dinner plate, Sandra and I had roast beef, and the kids had the kids meal which (depending on who was ordering) had chicken or a hot dog or some roast beef.  The dinner was excellent.  Joseph wasn't interested in sticking around for the singing so he and I roamed around a lot and when the rain let up again we walked outside.  We were eventually joined by all the kids and before we headed out we stopped by one of the animal pens and fed grass and straw to the miniature horses and donkeys that were inside.  The kids were thrilled whenever an animal would eat out of their hands.  We wanted to end the day with the evening service at Mount Rushmore, but the rain put an end to that plan.  We did a drive-by of the Crazy Horse Monument and headed back to our campground to call it a day.